Do I treat Glocks like I treat my lawn mowers? No, I treat them worse. I treat my defensive weapons like my fire extinguishers and smoke detector - annual maintenance and I expect them to work when needed

Now, now. It's all to the good. I gleefully aid in the spread of all rumors, gossip, and downright denigration of the state of Arkansas.

If you're rich, I point out the soul-grinding poverty of the hill folk and delta sharecroppers. If you're poor I point to the Waltons, Hunts, Tysons and all the other feelthy rich. Religious? I mention the heathen attitude among the ruling classes and if you're atheist I point out the widespread churchgoers amongst the populace. If you're uneducated I point to the hold that colleges have on the public purse and if well educated I mention the appalling amount of high school dropouts. If you're a gun nut I always mention that we don't have open carry, and if you're afraid of guns I talk about the large population of hunters. If you're Black I remind you of Central High and 1957, and if you're a White power fellow I point out the number of state employees of color and their power over your every move.

We've got plenty of people here; it's a mite crowded already. Every person that thinks "Man, I'm never going there" is fine with me.

The main problem is that whole 'six degrees of separation', 'cause here it's more like a degree and a half. Everybody knows everybody.

I just had a weird idea* that, while it won't help the original poster's situation, would be an amusing idea for someone building a new residence.

Have a master switch installed in the master bedroom, wired to turn on nice, very bright floodlights in every room in the house, except the master bedroom. Then invest in some sort of night-vision optics. During a nocturnal home invasion, flip the master switch to ON, wait a few seconds (while you prepare your night-vision optical device for use, while leaving it turned off), then flip the master switch to OFF. Once the master switch is flipped to OFF, turn on your night-vision optical device. Be sure to keep one eye closed, in case whoever is intruding has a flashlight that might overload your optics.

I leave the endgame of this scenario as an exercise for the student.

*Yeah, I know, me having a weird idea is as surprising as me saying "I remember it being warm in southern Arizona last summer."

American parachutists...devils in baggy pants...are less than 100 meters from my outpost line. I can't sleep at night; they pop up from nowhere and we never know when or how they will strike next. Seems like the black-hearted devils are everywhere....

Well, I could have, but damnit the sumbeeches went an run off to New York. The state, btw, actually is full of Dimocrats. Excepting for the NW corner which is Republican dominated and there you still have the U of A and that is full of educrats. They lean left of the Dimocrats, usually. The state government is solid dimocrat (seems like Arkansas dimocrats would roughly equal a Massachusetts' 'publican).

A little known aspect of the hill country of Arkansas is that it leaned pretty solid socialist during the '30s. Orval Faubus' dad (Orval being the super-populist who rode the '57 Central High mess to national notice) was a solid red. I guess I could mention that the Dunhams, who birthed our POTUS' momma, have roots here.

That's the real beauty of being a United States American. If you look back far enough you're pretty well assured of finding someone embarrassing. Dad's family, for example, came from Bavaria, emigrated to 'Murica and spent time in New York, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Arizona and Arkansas. Mom's written family records peter out in Indian Territory, so I can just make it up before then (oral records are so much better, if you're looking for excitement and romance).

You mean people just fire the damned things in the general direction of trouble and hope they hit something?

Why would they do that?

Um, guilty. My eyesight isn't that great even with glasses - just enough depth perception to get my driver's license. I do have an old shotgun but haven't used it yet because it needs a part. Thinking it might be better to buy something new - or at least not so old - what would be an appropriate gun for someone who can't hit the broadside of a barn unless I'm aiming at something else? (Exaggerated, but not all that much.)

In case of an intruder in our home, if shooting were needed, it would be up to me or our son, if he was home.

Langenator - We've lived here 11 years & never knew we had open carry! Thanks for that info.

Um, guilty. My eyesight isn't that great even with glasses - just enough depth perception to get my driver's license. I do have an old shotgun but haven't used it yet because it needs a part. Thinking it might be better to buy something new - or at least not so old - what would be an appropriate gun for someone who can't hit the broadside of a barn unless I'm aiming at something else? (Exaggerated, but not all that much.)

In case of an intruder in our home, if shooting were needed, it would be up to me or our son, if he was home.

Langenator - We've lived here 11 years & never knew we had open carry! Thanks for that info.

RE: Open Carry (OC) in WA: While it has been legal for years, it is only in the last few years--since I retired from the Army, in 2000--that it has been established, and every law enforcement agency in the state informed--that OC is legal.

As for a home defense weapon:Your best choice will vary according to your needs. Part of the popularity of shotguns for home defense is based on popular myths, discussed elsewhere, and partly on the fact that the shotgun is probably the most versatile of firearms, and historically the most likely gun to be in a home that only had one gun.

If you are actually asking me what gun you should get for home defense, however, I would suggest that you look into a semi-automatic rifle. Depending on your budget, I'd suggest an AR15-style gun, although a Keltec Sub2000 of a High Point carbine would also be an acceptable choice. The AR is available in a wide variety of calibers; the Keltec and High Point are pistol caliber carbines, in 9mm or .40 S&W. All three are readily available with mounts for a wide variety of optic sights (to compensate for poor eyesight, believe me, I understand and sympathize!), lights, and even laser aiming devices, if you want to get fancy. I have an AR15; Mrs. Drang and I each have Keltec S2K carbines which accept Glock magazines. (They have versions for other pistol magazines, although they are harder to find.) The High Point only takes High Point magazines; their pistols and carbines have the reputation of being as ugly as sin, inexpensive, and as reliable as an anvil.

Pretty much; because, as we've discussed in probably half a dozen other threads, "everybody knows" that you don't need to aim a scattergun.

[Curmudgeonly rant...]Ya know, even if folk never intended to take up hunting as a primary form of recreation, even if they went squirrel hunting just a couple of times, they might get disabused of some of these silly notions. [/Curmudgeonly rant...]

As for a home defense weapon:Your best choice will vary according to your needs. Part of the popularity of shotguns for home defense is based on popular myths, discussed elsewhere, and partly on the fact that the shotgun is probably the most versatile of firearms, and historically the most likely gun to be in a home that only had one gun.

If you are actually asking me what gun you should get for home defense, however, I would suggest that you look into a semi-automatic rifle. ...

While I mostly agree with your recommendations (as a proud owner of a Sub2000 ) I would mention that a shotgun, while it still needs to be consciously pointed, it does give a greater margin of error.

By way of illustration, if two equally capable woodsmen were sent into squirrel woods to collect the most meat, one armed with a Sub2000 or AR and the other a 12ga pump, my money's on the guy with the shotgun.*

Similarly, if two relatively neophyte hunters who are relatively unfamiliar with their weapons (say, having shot them once or twice at a range, maybe) were sent into squirrel woods to collect the most meat, one armed with a Sub2000 or AR and the other a 12ga pump, my money's defintely on the guy with the shotgun.

* Arguably, a guy with a scoped .22 firing shorts could theoretically best both, as he is less likely to generate squirrel scampering noise and will be blessed with more stationary targets.

...By way of illustration, if two equally capable woodsmen were sent into squirrel woods to collect the most meat, one armed with a Sub2000 or AR and the other a 12ga pump, my money's on the guy with the shotgun.*

Similarly, if two relatively neophyte hunters who are relatively unfamiliar with their weapons (say, having shot them once or twice at a range, maybe) were sent into squirrel woods to collect the most meat, one armed with a Sub2000 or AR and the other a 12ga pump, my money's defintely on the guy with the shotgun.

* Arguably, a guy with a scoped .22 firing shorts could theoretically best both, as he is less likely to generate squirrel scampering noise and will be blessed with more stationary targets.

Been watching Clint Eastwood movies? "When a man with a Colt and a man with a Winchester..."

And, yeah, the guy with the .22 has an edge, if only because neither the Sub2K nor the AR (depending on caliber) are really suitable for hunting for the pot.

Thanks, guys! I'll have my son explain to me the differences in the guns you mentioned. My best bet will probably be to get the shotgun fixed.

I really got the wind up about intruders when I found a cigarette butt in front of the shop last week. None of us smokes, nor do any of our friends. I suspect it was our brain-damaged neighbor nosing around when we weren't home (he has problems understanding boundaries) since nothing was missing. But it makes me nervous just the same.

...And, yeah, the guy with the .22 has an edge, if only because neither the Sub2K nor the AR (depending on caliber) are really suitable for hunting for the pot.

Yeah, there is that small detail.

Howsoever, in the interests of extreme thread drift, I do hope to try some squirrel hunting this fall with the Sub2000. I'm gonna check out the concept of "barking" squirrels with it. (Gonna have to be real careful of the backstops, probably will position myself above some ravine-ish areas and shoot down, rather than up.) Supposedly the old timers used to collect squirrels in that fashion with their .36 cal smokepoles. Rather than blast the squirrel into hamburger with the bullet, they would shoot the bark out from underneath the squirrel, stunning it for dispatch without overmuch tissue damage. I suspect that a 9mm or .40 S&W pistol round launched from a carbine is suspiciously similar to said .36 cal smokepole.

Howsoever, in the interests of extreme thread drift, I do hope to try some squirrel hunting this fall with the Sub2000. I'm gonna check out the concept of "barking" squirrels with it. (Gonna have to be real careful of the backstops, probably will position myself above some ravine-ish areas and shoot down, rather than up.) Supposedly the old timers used to collect squirrels in that fashion with their .36 cal smokepoles. Rather than blast the squirrel into hamburger with the bullet, they would shoot the bark out from underneath the squirrel, stunning it for dispatch without overmuch tissue damage. I suspect that a 9mm or .40 S&W pistol round launched from a carbine is suspiciously similar to said .36 cal smokepole.

You are now free to resume the original thread...

I'll be waiting with baited breath your report on squirrel 'barking'. My experience has been that:

A: You will get surprisingly few opportunities, due to the specific angle that you will have to have to cause the bark to 'explode' under the squirrel without hitting the squirrel or simply hitting the tree causing no harm.

B: You'll need a head shot. Bark that rascal under the body and, if he has only one foot still hanging on, he'll probably recover his balance.

C: The squirrel will have to be tightly hugging the tree, instead of standing leg's length away. He's likely only tightly hugging the tree if he has seen you, and if he sees you he'll try to circle around to keep the tree between the two of you. Take along a dog, or a noisy child.

I'm certainly not saying that you can't do it; all I'm saying is that I can't rely on that method to fill the cookpot. I don't have a .36 caliber, and if you hit one with a .50 caliber...well...it's hardly worth the effort to find the carcass.

I'll be waiting with baited breath your report on squirrel 'barking'. My experience has been that:

A: You will get surprisingly few opportunities, due to the specific angle that you will have to have to cause the bark to 'explode' under the squirrel without hitting the squirrel or simply hitting the tree causing no harm.

B: You'll need a head shot. Bark that rascal under the body and, if he has only one foot still hanging on, he'll probably recover his balance.

C: The squirrel will have to be tightly hugging the tree, instead of standing leg's length away. He's likely only tightly hugging the tree if he has seen you, and if he sees you he'll try to circle around to keep the tree between the two of you. Take along a dog, or a noisy child.

I'm certainly not saying that you can't do it; all I'm saying is that I can't rely on that method to fill the cookpot. I don't have a .36 caliber, and if you hit one with a .50 caliber...well...it's hardly worth the effort to find the carcass.

Yeah, I'm not saying this will become the A1 method of harvesting squirrels. It may prove interesting, it may prove frustrating. But it does represent a chance to actually use a gun that I own and to which, at least in theory, might be trusting my life. Seems like investing a morning or an afternoon (or 2, or 3) might be worth it.

The other quasi-intruiging aspect (to me, anyway) is that, in theory, should a whitetail blunder within range during the overlap in seasons, I could end up with a mixed bag using the same and very unconventional weapon for both. The .40 S&W is obviously marginal for deer, but 180gr jhp out of a carbine, it gets closer to the 10mm Auto in power, with which I have shot two deer previously--albeit I was unimpressed. If I did, I would limit it to broadside heart/lung shots and I'd probably go ahead and try and pop 2 or 3 into the ribs pretty quick, rather than my usual pop, watch and wait method.